miércoles, 7 de junio de 2017
COLONIAL EMPIRES
COLONIAL SCARS:
France used to have presence in Africa during the late years of the 19th century and the beggining of the 20th. This presence resulted in a huge amount of natural resources and, as a consequence, wealth. But this relationship was not only Africa-France, but also France-Africa. What I mean is that not only France got advantage of this situation, but the African countries too. It is an evidence that the European countries which colonized the African continent only wanted the land to develop agriculture and get enough resources for the growing population and, as a result, Africa got devastated. Nevertheless, France and other European countries, brought civilization to some areas of the continent: the railroad system, the steamboat, the light bulb, and also schools and Universities. This technical and cultural advantages were introduced in Africa by the hand with the language.
French would became the national language of countries like Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Chad, and also Argelia and Morocco. Colonialism was to have important consequences in a future.
After the independence of the French-African colonies, many francophone-Africans abandoned their countries and went to France in order to get a better life. They established, mainly, in Marseille, Lyon and Paris.
A perfect example of this massive migration can be found in French sport.
Not many years ago, in the 80s, Platini´s France had almost no presence of African players. But nowadays, the French National Football team is composed by more than a 60% of players with an African heritage.
French National Football team (1980)
French National Football Team (2017)
sábado, 1 de abril de 2017
martes, 28 de marzo de 2017
THE NAME OF THE ROSE (1986)
THE CHARACTERS
1. What are the names of the two main characters of the movie?
William of Baskerville and Adso of Melk
2. What religious order do they belong to? Who founded the order and what were the order’s key principles?
They were Franciscans. This religious order, which was founded by San Francisco de Asís in 1209, had a set of key principles that included: work, study, service, obedience, chastity, poverty, etc.
3. What other famous pair in the crime novel could you compare them with?
Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
4. Why do these two characters go to this Abbey in northern Italy?
They went there in order to participate in a debate about the poverty of Jesuschrist.
5. What are the secret instruments that Brother William carries? Why did he cover them when he received the Abbot's visit in his cell?
A star meter and a sand clock. I think he covered them because those instruments, which were used for science purposes, were not welcomed by the religion and, therefore, in the Abbey.
6. Which of the two theological currents, Patristics or Scholasticism, would you identify Bro. William with? Why?
7. Which character in the film would oppose, from the theological-philosophical point of view to Bro. William?
George of Burgos. He, for example, hates laughter.
8. The character of Bro. William is inspired in William of Ockham. Find some information about this character and his philosophy.
William of Ockham was a Franciscan friar, philosopher and logical English scholar, born in Ockham. As a member of the Franciscan Order, he dedicated his life to extreme poverty. He died of the Black Death. He is known mainly for the Ockham Knife, a methodological principle, and for his significant works in logic, medicine and theology.
9. What does the peasant girl symbolize? What vision existed for women and love in the Middle Ages according to the film?
The girl in the film represented the woman of that time, that symbolized the lust and, therefore, the evil.
10. Who were the "Dulcinians" or “Dulcinites”? Which characters in the film practiced this heresy?
The Dulcinians or Dulcinites were people that stole things from the rich to give them to the have-nots. Remigio was the most representative character of the Dulcinians in the film.
ABBEY
1. What monastic order does the abbey belong to?
The benidictines
2. Who founded this order and what was their motto?
San Benito de Nursia was the founding father of the order. Their motto is "ora et labora", which means "pray and work".
3. What activities took place in the monastery?
Monks used to pray, they raised livestock and copied books.
4. Why did the peasants go to the abbey?What were the social groups in the Middle Ages and what was their role in society?
Peasants went to the abbey in order to pay the tithe to the monks (10% of the harvest). In the middle Ages, the political and social system that prevailed was FEUDALISM. Here, the Feudal Lord was at the peak of the social pyramid; the clergy came after, and the peasants worked for both.
5. What architectural style appears in the movie? And what are its main characteristics?
Romanesque style. Romanesque is dark and intimate.
6. Does trhe abbey that appears in the film still exists? Where is it?
Yes, Saint Michael of Chiesa. It is in Italy
THE STORY
1. After the first death, what book of the Bible seems to answer those inexplicable murders? Why?
The apocalypse book. There was an old monk in the abbey that ,after witnessing the first murder, introduced fear in his mates by saying that the murder was the first step towards the arrival of apocalypse.
2. What is the debate that occurs in the Abbey about?
They were arguing about Christ´s poverty.
3. Why Pontifical Delegates were sent to participate in the debate?
They were sent there to work as "eyes" for the Pontifical State.
4. What are the two main opposing arguments that mark the debate?
On one hand, there were people who thought that, in order to follow his example, the Church shuold be as poor as Christ was. In the other hand, There were also many people who thought that if the Church doesn´t have incomes, they couldn´t battle the infidels and heathens (muslims, for example).
5. What does Bernardo Gui symbolize? Did he really exist?
Bernardo Gui was the representative of the Inquisition. He symbolize that extremist side of the Catholic Church which didin´t have an open view of the world. He is the opposite of W. of Baskerville.
6. What was the Holy Inquisition?
The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the government system of the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy.
1. What are the names of the two main characters of the movie?
William of Baskerville and Adso of Melk
2. What religious order do they belong to? Who founded the order and what were the order’s key principles?
They were Franciscans. This religious order, which was founded by San Francisco de Asís in 1209, had a set of key principles that included: work, study, service, obedience, chastity, poverty, etc.
3. What other famous pair in the crime novel could you compare them with?
Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
4. Why do these two characters go to this Abbey in northern Italy?
They went there in order to participate in a debate about the poverty of Jesuschrist.
5. What are the secret instruments that Brother William carries? Why did he cover them when he received the Abbot's visit in his cell?
A star meter and a sand clock. I think he covered them because those instruments, which were used for science purposes, were not welcomed by the religion and, therefore, in the Abbey.
6. Which of the two theological currents, Patristics or Scholasticism, would you identify Bro. William with? Why?
7. Which character in the film would oppose, from the theological-philosophical point of view to Bro. William?
George of Burgos. He, for example, hates laughter.
8. The character of Bro. William is inspired in William of Ockham. Find some information about this character and his philosophy.
William of Ockham was a Franciscan friar, philosopher and logical English scholar, born in Ockham. As a member of the Franciscan Order, he dedicated his life to extreme poverty. He died of the Black Death. He is known mainly for the Ockham Knife, a methodological principle, and for his significant works in logic, medicine and theology.
9. What does the peasant girl symbolize? What vision existed for women and love in the Middle Ages according to the film?
The girl in the film represented the woman of that time, that symbolized the lust and, therefore, the evil.
10. Who were the "Dulcinians" or “Dulcinites”? Which characters in the film practiced this heresy?
The Dulcinians or Dulcinites were people that stole things from the rich to give them to the have-nots. Remigio was the most representative character of the Dulcinians in the film.
ABBEY
1. What monastic order does the abbey belong to?
The benidictines
2. Who founded this order and what was their motto?
San Benito de Nursia was the founding father of the order. Their motto is "ora et labora", which means "pray and work".
3. What activities took place in the monastery?
Monks used to pray, they raised livestock and copied books.
4. Why did the peasants go to the abbey?What were the social groups in the Middle Ages and what was their role in society?
Peasants went to the abbey in order to pay the tithe to the monks (10% of the harvest). In the middle Ages, the political and social system that prevailed was FEUDALISM. Here, the Feudal Lord was at the peak of the social pyramid; the clergy came after, and the peasants worked for both.
5. What architectural style appears in the movie? And what are its main characteristics?
Romanesque style. Romanesque is dark and intimate.
6. Does trhe abbey that appears in the film still exists? Where is it?
Yes, Saint Michael of Chiesa. It is in Italy
THE STORY
1. After the first death, what book of the Bible seems to answer those inexplicable murders? Why?
The apocalypse book. There was an old monk in the abbey that ,after witnessing the first murder, introduced fear in his mates by saying that the murder was the first step towards the arrival of apocalypse.
2. What is the debate that occurs in the Abbey about?
They were arguing about Christ´s poverty.
3. Why Pontifical Delegates were sent to participate in the debate?
They were sent there to work as "eyes" for the Pontifical State.
4. What are the two main opposing arguments that mark the debate?
On one hand, there were people who thought that, in order to follow his example, the Church shuold be as poor as Christ was. In the other hand, There were also many people who thought that if the Church doesn´t have incomes, they couldn´t battle the infidels and heathens (muslims, for example).
5. What does Bernardo Gui symbolize? Did he really exist?
Bernardo Gui was the representative of the Inquisition. He symbolize that extremist side of the Catholic Church which didin´t have an open view of the world. He is the opposite of W. of Baskerville.
6. What was the Holy Inquisition?
The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the government system of the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy.
7. What tricks are used by the director to keep the plogue´s intrigue and the viewer´s attention?
He is constantly playing with us by trying to confuse us with whos was the real assasin. And he got it, he actually confused us because we didn´t know who was the killer until the end of the film.
8. What does ugliness symbolize in the movie?
It depicts the real Church of that time. People used to think that monks were small blond men with a big heart and with no evil. But itwasn´t like this: Monks also had that dark side everyone has and that´s what the film wants to represent.
THE BOOKS
1. What classical autors is Bro. William in love with?
He admires the ideas of Aristoteles and he is in love with the pages of the Roman writers Virgilio and Ovidio.
2. What does these authors have in common?
They are Grec-Latin writers.
3. What opposing arguments about laughter appear in the movie?
George of Burgos says that laughter is "an evil wind that that deforms the face and make men look like monkeys". Nevertheless, William of Baskerville, without getting intimidate by George, replies by saying that laughter is a human atribute.
4. What forbidden book used humor and comedy as an instrument of truth?
The Aristoteles´s second poetic book.
5. Why did Venerable George poison the tips of that book´s pages?
He posioned the book to kill eveyone who read it, and in that way, he would eradicate laughter within the abbey
6. Why did Umberto Eco titled his novel as "The Name of The Rose"?
miércoles, 22 de febrero de 2017
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA´S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
I agree with Howard Zinn's thesis that the Declaration was written because of selfish reasons.
Everyone may think the Revolution, and the Declaration therefore, were a result of common people aspirations, aspirations of freedom and equality. But this wasn´t exactly like that. The ones who were truely affected by the "oppression" of the English were the colonists upper-classes. The bourgeoisie and merchants were angry with the English because they force them to pay high taxes, and also becuase they were not represented in the English Parliament. For those reasons, upper-class colonists started to think about how could they spread out from the the English control. They knew they were only a small percentage of the population and that they needed the rest of the people to the Revolution for becoming successful.
As Zinn exposes: "The solution was to find language inspiring to all classes", and it was, it truely was. "Specific enough in its listing of grievances to fill people with anger against British." Since the first moment, people join the cause and they believed that the British were the stone in the shoe of American freedom.
The Declaration of Independence was also carefully written "to avoid class conflicts", to forget for one moment the differences between clasess and to get all together against the British.
Everyone may think the Revolution, and the Declaration therefore, were a result of common people aspirations, aspirations of freedom and equality. But this wasn´t exactly like that. The ones who were truely affected by the "oppression" of the English were the colonists upper-classes. The bourgeoisie and merchants were angry with the English because they force them to pay high taxes, and also becuase they were not represented in the English Parliament. For those reasons, upper-class colonists started to think about how could they spread out from the the English control. They knew they were only a small percentage of the population and that they needed the rest of the people to the Revolution for becoming successful.
As Zinn exposes: "The solution was to find language inspiring to all classes", and it was, it truely was. "Specific enough in its listing of grievances to fill people with anger against British." Since the first moment, people join the cause and they believed that the British were the stone in the shoe of American freedom.
The Declaration of Independence was also carefully written "to avoid class conflicts", to forget for one moment the differences between clasess and to get all together against the British.
lunes, 12 de diciembre de 2016
SUMBA
1.What features animism define the believes of Sumba?
The features that define the believes of Sumba are the ones that are situated in their houses. All their houses (made by Straw) have three floors; humans live in the middle floor, under them, the animals and on the top of the house live the spirits wich are called Marapu. If we talk about the decorations of the houses, we know that they used animal bones like craniums.
The people from the tribu also think that everything in nature has its own essence. There is a tree in the centre of the village, from which hang several skulls of their enemies.
2- Who is Ratu for the village?
Ratu is a wiseman, in contact with the people and also with the spirits, he also predicts if the year will be good or bad.
3-Which are the examples of dualism that appear on the video?
In the video we can see that men and women are divided but not only in their houses, they also have two entrances to the temple; one for male and aonther one for female. The day and the night is also a very good example of dualism. Another way they have to represent dualism having the nut in order to represent women and a sheath to represent men.
4-Explain the universal symbols that appear in the video and how they adapt to the believings of the village.
They have a lot of symbols, for explample, they considerate the moon as a symbol because it reprents the cycle of days and nights. Another symbol could be that when someone died, they use a stone in order to keep him or her´s spirit with them. They also considerate the sun and the sky important symbols in their lives. But this aren´t the only ones, they also had a tree in the center of the village that represented the way that conected the Earth with heaven and also represents their enemies and the war.
5-Explain the symbols of the house, what parts they have and how they decorated them.
Each house have three floors: the first for the animals, the second for men and women and the third for the marapu (the spirits) so they can be near the sky. They decorate the houses with craneums of animals they have hunted and drawings of cockatoos and horses, which are considered spiritual animals by the inhabitants of Sumba.
6. Who is marapu?
Marapu are the spirits that walk next to the people of Sumba in everyday-life
7. Explain the symbolism of the loom and explain the drawings of icats.
Ikkats are a special cloth that inhabitants of Sumba wear. There are horses painted in them because they are consider spiritual animals. Although, there are also many drawings of the city history.
8. How do the Sumba announce the New Year?
They have a calendar which is made by 12 different cards, and each one represent one month of the year, and as soon as they see the seaworm, also called Nyale, appearing in the beach, everyone goes there to pick as many seaworms as they can. The more worms they pick, the better the year and the ground will be.
9. Explain the symbolism of Pasola.
Is the celebration of the New Year, where the villagers ride horses with spears, handkerchiefs and hats on their heads. The horseriders fight inside of a circle limited by spectetators.
10. How does Ratu tell the future of the village?
He can tells the village its future by listening to the Marapu and also with the seaworms, that were previously fished during the Nyale ritual.
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